Cope Tiger

Cope Tiger is the largest joint/combined air combat exercise conduct in Thailand. Cope Tiger gives aircrews an opportunity to hone all the skills they would need for air combat operations. As Thai, Singaporean, and US forces work together, they are able to learn from each others experiences and build relations that strengthen the relationships between each nation.

Cope Tiger 2000

Components from the United States Air Force, the United States Marine Corp, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) conducted simulated combat operations near Korat from 11 January to 27 January 2000.

Cope Tiger 2002

Air forces from the United States, Thailand, and Singapore, as well as U.S. marines participated in Exercise Cope Tiger 02 in Thailand from January 14-25, 2002. On January 12, 2002 prior to the start of the exercise, the Royal Thai Air Force organized a Children's Day event at Wing 1 of Korat Airbase near Nakhon Ratchasima. The event, which was open to public, showcased U.S. and Singaporean fighter jets and other military equipment.

Cope Tiger is an annual, multinational exercise conducted in two phases in the Asia-Pacific region. The first phase, which took place at Paya Lebar Airbase in Singapore during December 2001, was a tactical seminar/command post workshop where aircrews from the three countries participated in mission planning. The second phase is a flying training exercise, which took place at the Korat Royal Air Force Base. More than 1,200 people participated in the training, including approximately 600 U.S. service members and 600 service members from Thailand and Singapore.

Pilots flew both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training missions. The U.S. pilots flew F-15C Eagles, F/A-18C Hornets, E-3B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), HH-60 Blackhawks, and KC-135 Stratotankers. The Thai forces flew F-16A/B Fighting Falcons, F-5E/F Tigers, UH-1H Hueys. The Singaporean forces flew F-5S/T Tigers and F-16C/D Fighting Falcons. The flying training portion of the exercise promotes closer relations and enables air force units in the region to sharpen air combat skills and practice interoperability with U.S. forces.

Cope Tiger 2004

Aviation units from the U.S. Air Force, Thailand and Singapore, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps, honed their combat skills in exercise Cope Tiger '04 from Feb. 16 to 27. More than 1,370 people, including 770 U.S. servicemembers and 600 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore, participated in the annual, joint/combined multilateral exercise.

Cope Tiger helps demonstrate commitment to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The exercise improved readiness and interoperability, as well as help maintain solid relationships with nations in the region as we train side-by-side with their air forces.

Cope Tiger '04 is conducted in two phases in the Asia-Pacific region. The first phase ended at Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore, in December 2003, and was a seminar/command post exercise where aircrews from the three countries participated in the planning and exercising of an air operations center. The second phase is the flying training exercise, which is took place at Korat Royal Thai Air Base about 110 miles northeast of Bangkok. The flying training portion of the exercise promotes closer relations and enables air force units in the region to sharpen air combat skills and practice interoperability with U.S. Forces.

American units participating in the exercise include the 90th Fighter Squadron and 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; 909th Air Refueling Squadron and 961st AACS, Kadena AB, Japan; Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212, Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni; Marine Aerial Refueling Squadron 152, Marine Corps Air Station, Futema, Japan; and Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, N.C.

Cope Tiger 2005

Cope Tiger 2005 took place betweeen Jan. 24-Feb. 4, 2005. More than 2,100 people participated in Cope Tiger, including about 620 American servicemembers and 1,500 from Thailand and Singapore. U.S. Airmen included 144 troops from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing at Hickam AFB and nearly 170 from the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Aircraft and Sailors from the USS Lincoln also participated in the joint exercise, made up of a detachment of aircraft, pilots and maintainers from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 82

During the two-week exercise, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sent a small detachment of aircraft from each fixed wing squadron to Korat Air Base in Thailand to engage in one-versus-one aerial combat manuevering flights and large force strikes. The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was on station off the coast of Indonesia providing humanitarian assistance to areas devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

Cope Tiger 2005 emphasized more than just successful employment by individual aircraft. Simulated strikes and air-to-air presentations focused on working together as regional partners in a coordinated fashion. On a daily basis, FA-18C Hornets from VFA-82 flew and fought in mixed formations with Alpha Jets, F-5 Tigers, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and F-15 Eagles from the Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Singapore Air Force and U.S. Air Force, respectively.

Cope Tiger 2006

Cope Tiger '06, began 7 February 2006. More than 1,300 people, including 300 U.S. servicemembers and 1,000 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore, participated in the exercise that involved aviation and ground units. The exercise was designed to hone flying skills and foster international cooperation among the three countries. A-10 Thunderbolt II operators and maintainers from Osan Air Base, South Korea, also deployed for the exercise.

Marines from Marine Aircraft Group 12, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, Marine Air Control Squadron 4, Marine Figher Attach Squadron 241 and Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 arrived at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand to participate in the exercise. During the exercise, Marines were given the opportunity to develop aviation skills and also, to gain trainig valuable to performing against other countries' air forces.

The A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Osan Air Base, South Korea, were able to accomplish valuable bombing range skills. C-130 Hercules crews from Yokota Air Base, Japan, practiced night landings and low altitude training. Cope Tiger aircrews flew more than 140 sorties in the two-week exercise that included Air Force A-10s, C-130s, E-3 Sentry (AWACS) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, and a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Air National Guard at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Aircrews from Thailand and Singapore also flew jets in the exercise.

The 152nd Intelligence Squadron, which is overseen by Air Combat Command and provides imagery intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products to theater commanders and emergency responders, Eagle Vision flight became the first ANG commercial satellite imagery collection and dissemination capability to deploy to Thailand in support of Exercise Cope Tiger 2006. The flight provided timely, large-scale imagery photo maps and enlargements of the various ranges utilized by more than 300 airmen from the Royal Thai and Royal Singaporean Air Forces as well as U.S. Pacific Command mission planners.

In addition to the 3rd Communications Squadron, members of the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron were also there to provide command and control of the exercise's air-space and aircraft. Third Operations Support Squadron Intelligence members were also helping with the exercise. The members of the 3rd CS were there to provide joint and international partners a full spectrum of communications support from high bandwidth satellite to home base handheld radios, and basic network and phone services during the exercise.

Cope Tiger 2007

In the 13th year of Cope Tiger, approximately 600 personnel from the United States and 600 combined from Singapore and Thailand are expected to participate in the two-week exercise and nearly 50 Yokota Air Base aircrews, maintainers and medics left Japan for Thailand. Maintenance personnel for A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Osan Air Base, Korea, joined other planes from bases in Japan and Hawaii for Cope Tiger 2007. Hawaii's Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron and Air National Guard F-15 pilots from the 154th Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii were also among participants in the 2007 exercise.

Airmen of the Theater Deployable Communications element particpated in Cope Tiger 2007. The TDC team provided the only communications services for Udon Thani AB, including classified network access for aircrews flying more than 140 sorties in the two-week exercise.

In addition to the field training portion of Cope Tiger, humanitarian projects play a large part of the exercise. The Cope Tiger humanitarian civil action project is a joint, combined team of medical, optometry and dental personnel from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Royal Thai Air Force and Republic of Singapore Air Force. More than 2,000 men, women and children were seen during the projects. Exercise Cope Tiger runs through Feb. 9 in Udon Thani and Korat, Thailand.

Teams provided a variety of medical care to the local residents of the Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) area of Thailand. Medical members from the U.S., Thai and Singapore air forces performed medical, dental and eye exams for members of the Ban Chaimongkon School community. In addition to dental exams, the medical team members offered basic services such as blood pressure checks, tooth extractions, eye exams and prescriptions for glasses. They also distributed medicines such as cough syrup and antibiotics as needed. Schools were also provided with computers for them to use in their computer club. U.S. Airmen, Sailors and Marines presented the school with a digital projector and sporting goods, as well.

U.S., Thailand, and Singapore forces safely executing over 1,250 sorties. The exercise provided realistic combat training, which improved combined joint interoperability and promoted relations between our three countries.